Atlantis Sprouts
by Hananian
Summary: COMPLETE...Janus decides to help Elizabeth. More than she realizes. McWeir eventually
1. Janus Helps

A/N: Don't own anything, just decided to play with them for a little while. This was kinda fun, and can work as a one-shot, but if reactions warrant it, I've got a much longer story in mind. If you like it, let me know and I'll keep going. (how's that for a shameless cry for reviews? LOL) Enjoy!

* * *

Elizabeth entered the lab that she hadn't been to in months. She was obviously perturbed at something, and after a quick glance around the room to find him, she strode over to Rodney determinedly. "Okay, bring me up to speed. What's so important that it couldn't wait until I finished my lunch?" 

Rodney just looked at her, distracted and, to Elizabeth, looking a bit green around the gills. Rodney nervous wasn't that new, as he spent more time worrying than anyone she'd ever met. However, he usually at least answered her. The fact that he continued to stare as if his mind was light years away unnerved her. She glanced at Dr. Zelenka; the room's only other occupant. "What's wrong with Rodney?"

The question seemed to snap Rodney back to the room and the realization that she was standing in front of him. "Oh…'Lizabeth. Hi. Thanks for coming. Zelenka was getting strange power readings from this room and decided to investigate. And it would seem he found something that you umm...we really needed to see."

With that said, he turned and led her to a podium, much like the one they found when they first arrived on Atlantis. "Is that a…?"

"Yep. A hologram emitter, like that original one Carson found when we first arrived. Though the one talking is a guy, not a girl. And get this…his name? Janus. Sound familiar?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow in question at Rodney. "Janus? As in the guy who helped me, well, the other me?" Rodney rolled his eyes.

"Does Janus sound like a common name to you? Of course it's the same guy." At Elizabeth's glare, he held his hands up in supplication. "Sorry. Besides, this is way too serious to be joking. And I'm sorry about interrupting your lunch. However, after seeing this, I think you'll be glad you didn't eat too much. I was."

That worried Elizabeth. Rodney…glad he didn't eat? Definitely serious. She glanced at the podium again, and then gave a sharp nod. "Alright. Let's see it." She stepped back quickly as a form shimmered into place less than 3 feet in front of her.

The image smiled and appeared to look around. _"Greetings. My name is Janus. I record this as my people are preparing to abandon this city and returning to our home world for the final time. If you are watching this now, then the plan I concocted with Doctor Elizabeth Weir was successful and our city did, in fact, survive."_

"_Unbeknownst to Doctor Weir, I have placed an additional program into the city, which will engage when she is awakened from her metabolic stasis. Should this city have not survived, nor she never awaken, the program will delete itself and never come to fruition. However, should she live, my final actions shall not be in vain, and shall instead ensure your continued existence and presence in this galaxy, as well as ensure our race does not die out either."_

At Elizabeth's raised eyebrow, Rodney paused the playback. "Additional program? Have you found any information on this additional program?"

Rodney turned a bit green again, nodded, and resumed the playback.

Janus continued. _"I have instructed the computer to keep a sample of Doctor Weir's biological tissue, along with cells from the first male to have contact with the program. These two shall be combined to form a third life, engineered to also have the gene we require to enable the use of our technology. This process will initiate upon the awakening of Doctor Weir. At the advent of a viable lifeform, the formation of a second offspring, biologically adapted will begin. This cycle will continue, with the normal gestation period, with distinctions and random biological characteristics injected into each fetus to ensure no deficiencies or duplicates."_

Elizabeth had heard enough, and rounded on Rodney, her eyes wide. "Is he saying what I think he's saying!" She had enough of a grasp of the sciences to understand what the Janus hologram had said, but she just had to make sure she'd heard it right.

Rodney frowned, and then looked at her sadly. "Yes, 'Lizabeth. You heard what you thought you heard. And that's not all. Come look at what else Radek found." He stepped over to a blank wall next to the chamber the alternate Elizabeth had inhabited for millennia. As he approached, a panel slid back and a tank came into view, illuminated from behind.

There, floating serenely in a liquid that looked like nothing so much as partially set jello, was a perfectly formed infant. Elizabeth stepped closer in awe, and then quickly turned to Rodney, who was studying the display next to the tank. "Are you saying that I have a child?" A quick look at the floating infant. "A daughter? That Atlantis itself gave me a daughter. And soon to be several children?"

Rodney looked at the readouts, then back at Elizabeth, his cheeks coloring softly. "Firstly, no to the several children. We have already been able to deactivate the part of the programming that repeats. However, this child is almost full term, and I refuse to 'deactivate' her. And technically, no, 'Lizabeth. What I'm actually saying, and what Janus said, is that in about, oh…maybe 1-2 weeks, we will have a daughter."

At her shocked looked and dropped jaw, Rodney tried to explain further. "Do you remember who initiated the awakening of the other Elizabeth? Me. I was the one who activated the revival process, who was there to wake her and ever the first one to touch her upon reanimation. So no, Elizabeth. YOU are not about to have a daughter. WE are."


	2. Final Countdown

Radek watched McKay and Dr. Weir, as they watched each other. Their gazes locked and everything else in the room seemingly ceased to exist. He thought about trying to get their attention, but then thought of all the times they seemed on the verge of something and decided not to interrupt whatever silent conversation they were having. Instead, he quietly gathered his things, murmured a quiet farewell and slipped from the room with its occupants none the wiser.

* * *

Rodney walked into the lab, unsurprised to find Elizabeth there in front of the tank that held her…no, **their** daughter. It had been over a week, and yet, every time he came in, there she stood. He couldn't help but smile a bit at his seemingly good fortune, in spite of it all. Oh sure, he had no clue how this was gonna work out, and had NO idea what kind of father he'd be. But…as a man with supremely bad luck with women, he'd pretty much given up on passing on the McKay genes to any one. And while he usually had a weakness for dumb blondes, he couldn't think of anyone he'd rather have donating genes to his progeny than Elizabeth.

Elizabeth heard someone enter the room behind her, but was too busy watching the baby _her daughter! _ floating and slowly rolling almost playfully in the tank. As the baby gently bumped the wall of the tank, Elizabeth instinctively reached a hand out to place it flat against the glass, and felt an unnamable surge of something flow through her and gasped.

Rodney was instantly at her side, a comforting hand on her shoulder. "'Lizabeth? What's wrong?" He placed his hand over hers on the tank, just in time to feel the infant give a mighty kick under their hands. He stared in awe then looked down at Elizabeth to see tears standing in her eyes. "She…she kicked me!" he said with amazement.

She looked up at him with a grin. "Definitely the McKay temperament!" He frowned slightly. "Oh! Rodney…I'm sorry, that was mean." She watched him, embarrassed, until she saw him smile slightly to show he wasn't upset, and instead seemed almost proud. "Goodness, how embarrassing! I just…" Here, she shrugged. "I don't know. I know it's been a week, but I still can't believe it! I'm going to be a mother! How am I going to raise a child? I was never cut out to be a mother, and I didn't think I ever even wanted to be one. And yet…" She looked wistfully at the tank. "The more time I spend here and look at her, the more I can't help but feel like this is…" She stopped, unable to find the right words.

Rodney stood next to her, and nodded slowly. "I understand completely what you mean, 'Lizabeth, and I feel the same. I'd pretty much given up on ever having children." He smiled sardonically. "Sorta difficult when the women all run away screaming when you approach. But…'Lizabeth, you don't have to do this alone. She's my child as well, and my responsibility."

Elizabeth stepped back to break the contact between them and looked up at his face as another worry cropped up. "That's another huge part! She's **OURS**! Rodney, you're one of, if not **the** best friend I have, in this galaxy or any other. But I can't lie and say I've been harboring some deep desire to have a child with you!" At his crestfallen look, quickly covered by a stoic mask, Elizabeth sighed. "You know what I mean, Rodney! I hadn't planned to have children with ANYONE. It wasn't in my game plan. How am I supposed to run this city with an infant attached to my hip, figuratively if not literally? Not only that, but how am I supposed to expect everyone to take me seriously if I smell like spoiled milk?"

Rodney frowned, his mind going back to the previous week, when he and Elizabeth had informed the senior staff.

* * *

"Gentlemen, Teyla. Thank you all for coming on such short notice, and so late. I know this is a bit unorthodox, but I, well…we needed to inform you of a situation that has arisen that will affect us all very soon." She looked individually at those seated around her office, trying to gauge everyone's mood. Carson appeared curious, but nothing more. John looked bored, though she had a feeling that would change quickly. Teyla looked a bit confused, but seemed to be willing to wait patiently for Elizabeth to explain. Radek just smiled slightly and nodded in encouragement. Rodney was at her side, and she didn't have to look at him to read his mood. She could feel the tension radiating off his frame in waves so she took a deep breath and began.

"Early this afternoon, Dr. Zelenka discovered something in one of the labs that he and Rodney brought to my attention. I'd like to give you a rough overview, and then we'll go to the lab so you can all see for yourselves."

Here Rodney stepped in and took over the story, as they'd agreed in their private meeting a few minutes prior. "Radek was following up on some anomalous power readings in the lab where we found the other Elizabeth almost 9 months ago. It seems that her ole buddy Janus decided to, in his opinion, help us out a bit." He rolled his eyes, and gestured to Radek, who took up the story.

"There, I found many things of much interest. Most important is previously unknown tank. The tank contains almost fully formed fetus…"

"Infant." Rodney interrupted quietly, but firmly, looking down at his lap. When Radek didn't resume talking, he looked up, to see everyone, including Elizabeth, looking at him questioningly. However, Elizabeth seemed to understand what he meant after a moment and gave him a slight nod. At her visible agreement, he straightened and said again with conviction, "Infant. It is an infant. Not a fetus, or embryo or thing. And technically, it's not even an 'it.' She's a she." He leaned back in his chair with a decisive nod and a scowl.

Radek looked at Rodney for a couple seconds, and then visibly pulled his thoughts together. "Yes, yes. Sorry. She is a baby. As I was saying, almost fully formed and ready for…"

"Wait a second!" John interjected forcefully, cutting Radek off again. "A baby? We have a baby? Since when did we get a baby?"

Rodney rolled his eyes at John, and then looked to everyone briefly before focusing on John again. "Actually, **we**…" he indicated the whole room, "don't have a baby. **WE**," now indicating himself and Elizabeth, "have a baby."

While he hadn't meant to announce it that way, he had to bite back the laugh that threatened to burst forth at the gobsmacked look on John's face. He looked to Elizabeth with a grin, but quickly schooled his features at the expression on her face. She had her eyes closed, and looked almost ill. Humor and sarcasm quickly vanished as he muttered a quiet "sorry" to her.

Elizabeth raised her head and eyes to again look at those gathered. "Well…that wasn't how I'd wanted to tell you all, but at least now you know. In short, Janus did some Ancient medical magic, and combined my, well the other me's, DNA with some of Rodney's," At this, John raised an eyebrow and Elizabeth answered the unspoken question. "Janus didn't plan for it to be Rodney. Apparently, Rodney just got lucky, since he was the first to have contact with the other me. Anyway, as I was saying, Janus combined the two and created a baby. She appears to be in perfect health and about ready to come out of the tank, though I'd like you to see what you think, Carson."

Carson, still trying to follow what was going on, nodded immediately. "O' course, Lass. Just show me ta the wee one and I'll set yer mind at ease as best I can." He smiled reassuringly at Elizabeth, then couldn't help but look at Rodney's face. For someone who should be freaked, he seemed not only amazingly calm, but even somewhat happy about it.

* * *

Rodney snapped back to the present as Elizabeth cleared her throat and he realized she was llooking at him curiously and apparently expecting an explanation. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder in a supporting gesture and gave her a partial hug. "'Lizabeth, relax. It's gonna work out. No one is gonna think less of you. It's not as if we've been having an affair or you've been sleeping around with a Genii. Besides…look at her." Here, he turned her slightly so they were both watching their daughter again. As if sensing their attention, she rolled a bit and kicked the glass again, causing Elizabeth to smile.

Rodney caught her smile and grinned. "See? How can you worry what John or Bates or even Kavanaugh will think when you'll have the angel?" Elizabeth smiled a bit wider and rested her head over on Rodney's shoulder, relaxing in the presence of her friend for a moment, the her head shot up, a look of horror on her face."

"Oh…my…god… I'd totally forgotten about Kavanaugh." Her face took on a slight green look. "Can you imagine what his next message home will be?"


	3. Atlantis' ATM

Elizabeth paused at the doorway to what she, in her mind at least, now considered the nursery. She had taken to coming here in the evenings when she was done with her work for the day. At some point, someone had even pulled a chair for her over by the tank that held her daughter.

_-My daughter!- _Even though it had been almost 2 weeks, Elizabeth still marveled at the miracle that floated serenely on the other side of the room. Though she was still worried about what kind of mother she'd make, along with all the other factors that she and Rodney had discussed over the last week or so, Elizabeth couldn't stop the small smile that formed as she fully entered the room, and saw Rodney already sitting comfortably in her chair, reading from a file on his lap and occasionally glancing up at the tank with a small smile.

Elizabeth stood there for several minutes, watching him, before she entered quietly. She didn't want to disturb him or interrupt his time with the baby, but at the same time, she was unwilling to forgo what had become a very important nightly ritual for her. She wouldn't get nine months to bond with this child slowly growing inside of her. She had been given less than two weeks to try to wrap her mind around this and these evening visits had become **her** time.

She approached him slowly, and stopped, startled when he spoke without looking up. "I wondered when you were going to get here. You're usually here long before now."

Elizabeth shook her head, not even attempting to find out how he'd know she was there. As she walked around the chair to stand in front of him, he quickly stood up, motioning her to her chair. "I was just waiting for you. Errr…warming your chair up for you, and all that." He blushed slightly, and she found it so endearing, she couldn't help but smile at his unexpected gallantry and nervous fumbling.

She sat down, and watched him fidget for a moment, before taking pity on his obvious discomfort. "Rodney, why don't you sit down and stay with me, well…us, for a bit?" He smiled gratefully and looked around for a chair briefly, before shrugging and sitting on the floor, leaning back against a console so he could see her and the tank holding his daughter.

"'Lizabeth, do you realize we probably have a matter of hours, maybe a day or so left until Addie is going to be here? We haven't decided on anything. Where she's gonna sleep. What we're going to do. Not only that, but what are we gonna do about diapers, and formula and….what?" Rodney stopped mid-rant at the puzzled look on Elizabeth's face. "What, 'Lizabeth? What did I do?"

Elizabeth cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Addie? Where did that come from? I assume you mean the baby, right?" She lifted the other eyebrow towards the other one at his answering scowl. "What?"

Rodney rolled his eyes. "We can't keep calling her "the baby" and "she" all the time. It doesn't have to be her name; I just needed something to make her more…real." His voice faded away at the end, before quietly adding, "Besides, it was my mother's name and she was the only bright spot in my life growing up, so I figured it couldn't hurt to use it until we decided on a name."

Elizabeth blinked her eyes rapidly for a second to dispel the moisture that had pooled there while he talked and now threatened to spill out.She nodded, before clearing her throat. "Actually, I was thinking something close to that. Adiana. I read it years ago, and I loved it. It means 'the night's falling reveals the angel's beauty.' Seems pretty appropriate too, since she seems to be one of the few beautiful things to come out of the horrors of the 'night' we've seen since arriving here. And…" she hesitated to make sure he wasn't rejecting the name outright. When she saw him mulling it over and watching her, she continued. "And…I think I found the right name to go with it. Terena. It means 'of Earth,' which is also quite fitting, in my opinion."

Rodney continued to study her like he'd never seen her before until she blushed. "Okay, fine. Yes, I've been thinking about it quite a bit, and even looking some things up and asking around about name origins to a few members of the team from other countries. I don't like referring to her as 'she' or 'the baby' either. And since she is yours too, I didn't want to make this decision unilaterally." Here, she smiled at him slightly.

He met her eyes, and saw the worry, the nervousness that he wouldn't like the name she'd chosen. But under it all, was a spark that he'd never seen. Dare he believe she was actually getting as excited as he had become over the thought of a baby, this baby? Finally, he smiled and nodded. "I like it. It's beautiful. And, as you said, awfully appropriate. I'm gonna keep calling her Addie anyway, you realize, but it seems like a good nickname for Adiana anyway. So I guess it ….wait. No. That name won't work."

Elizabeth shook her head lightly in confusion, trying to follow Rodney's abrupt shift in thought. "What? What's wrong? You just said it was beautiful."

Rodney was still shaking his head. "Yes, I know what I said, andI still think thename is beautiful. But no child of mine is going to go through life with the initials ATM. That's just asking for her to be teased."

"M? Weir starts with a W."

"If she's my child, her last name is McKay. Not Weir. I'm sorry. You can pick the first name and her middle name, but McKay is non-negotiable. And I'm not hyphenating it. None of this Weir-McKayor McKay-Weir stuff. McKay."

"But Rodney…"

"No. No buts. I won't compromise on this one, 'Lizabeth. I can't.I'm sorry, I have to be strict about the McKay. Something has to say this child is mine as well. It's obvious by looking at her that she has several of your features, but there's nothing that I can see that shows I have any connection to her and I don't want there to be any doubt. Unless you want to combine our names."

Elizabeth cocked her head at him. "Combine our names? But you just said no hyphenations."

Rodney grinned at her. "No, not hyphenate. Combine. How about McWeir?"

* * *

Rodney sat on the floor, smiling smugly in victory and watching the baby -_no, Adiana. Well…Addie.-_ The nickname Rodney had christened her with was already stuck in Elizabeth's head. She'd flat out refused the McWeir suggestion, though she'd know he was joking. She'd laughed along with him as soon as she'd realized he wasn't serious. They'd argued about it for quite a while after that before they settled on the only fair way they could think of to decide. 

_-Rock, paper, scissors-_ Elizabeth cringed as she remembered. -_Myfirst child'sname was decided by a child's game.-_ But after such a long argument, and no coin to flip, it had come down to that because neither would concede. He'd given her the choice of that or Prime/Not Prime. She knew she didn't have a prayer at beating him at that. The only other option had been a blind choice or asking others. But this seemed too important to leave up to a blind choice, and she really didn't feel it was anyone else's business.

She had to admit though, they'd solved this issue, albeit unconventionally, but solved it nonetheless. And if they could settle something that big and remain friends, it gave her hope for what was to come.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to ask Rodney what he thought they should do about the sleeping arrangements, andyelped in fright as a hologram snapped in place directly over Rodney. He gave an almost girlish shriek and jumped up, coming to stand next to her chair as she stood, giving his whole body a shake like he's walked into a spider web. She grinned at him, then turned towatchthe Janus hologram as it began to speak.

"_The program is complete. Finalization sequence commencing. 1 hour until birth."_

Elizabeth and Rodney turned to look at each other. Nervousness, excitement, hope and trepidation allbattled for dominance on their faces and in their eyes, until Rodney blinked and reached up to tap his headset.

"Carson. It's Rodney. It's…time." Carson responded, though Rodney was already not listening, staring into Elizabeth's eyes again. He gave her a small smile as he reached out and squeezed her hand. "Here we go." Elizabeth nodded slowly, and kept a firm grip on his hand as they turned back to look at the tank.

Adiana Terena McKay was ready to meet her family. The only question was, were they ready for her?


	4. Program Complete

A/N: Got this up as fast as possible so Fifi wouldn't have to suffer. Was gonna go on, but the chapter would have been too long. So hopefully, the next chapter will be up in just a couple days.

OH! I forgot to say at the beginning...This story is happily dedicated to Sprout! Glad you came around, Little One!

* * *

Rodney stood back against the wall opposite the tank that held Addie; Elizabeth curled protectively against his side with his arm around her shoulders for both physical and emotional support. They knew they couldn't help Carson; all they could do was stay out of the way and pray for everything to be fine.

Carson scanned the baby in the tank in front of him. She appeared to be fully formed, and as healthy as any newborn. The Janus hologram popped up every 10 minutes to continue his countdown, with his last appearance being 8 minutes ago as he stated, "_Final processing achieved. Ten minutes until program completion." _The water level had decreased slowly, until the baby rested on a cushion on the bottom of the tank, the fluid still covering her, but stopping mere inches above her upturned face.

Finally, the console next to the wall chimed, as Janus made a final appearance to announce, _"Gestation period complete. Program terminated." _The rest of the water drained quickly and Carson sprang into action, lifting the baby from the tank to lay her in the small isolette that had been brought from the infirmary. He quickly suctioned her nose and mouth, then cleaned her off briskly but gently as she gave a lusty cry.

At the sound, Rodney looked down at Elizabeth to see her smiling widely, unheeded tears streaming down her cheeks. She glanced up at him, and then stretched up to bury her face against his neck, wrapping her arms around him to hug him tightly. He wrapped his other arm around her, holding her to him as he felt his own tears course slowly down his face. He knew he was grinning hugely, and saw no reason to even try to stop it.

At Carson's direction, they followed him and his small team and the baby to the infirmary for a thorough going over to make sure everything was working well and she was as healthy as she appeared.

* * *

An hour had passed, before Carson finally emerged from the isolation room that he'd wheeled Addie into. Rodney and Elizabeth quickly stood from the chairs they'd occupied while waiting, though Rodney'd had nothing more than a passing acquaintance with his as he paced. Carson came to a stop in front of them and smiled tiredly.

"Well, she appears as normal as any newborn babe I've ever examined. 6 pounds, 14 ounces, 19 ½ inches long. Heart, lungs sound fine. Breathin' normal. An' the Ancient gene is definitely present. Seems quite pure an' strong ta me too. Don't think ya coulda gotten a better wee one if ya'd ordered her from a catalog. Though why they feel the need to come in the middle of the night, I'll never understand. You ken come in now. I'm sure you'll be wantin' to be seein' her."

Rodney and Elizabeth both nodded quickly and followed him back to the small room, coming to a stop side by side next to the isolette she lay in, not daring to even touch her. "You ken pick 'er up, ya know. The wee ones are pretty strong. They don't break too easily." Carson said gently, before quietly exiting the room, leaving Mother, Father and daughter alone.

Elizabeth stroked her cheek, before slowly unwrapping her and counting her fingers and toes, in some instinctual mothering practice done world wide by new mothers everywhere. Once she was satisfied with the number she found, she rewrapped her carefully. With a deep breath, she lifted the child into her arms and cradled her close to her chest, taking in that smell that is unique to infants alone. She nuzzled her cheek against the downy soft, curly blond hair that adorned her daughter's head.

"Hello, Miss Adiana Terena McKay. Welcome to Atlantis. You're our first true Atlantian born in millennia. I've been looking forward to meeting you for what seems to be forever, and I'm so glad you're here." Elizabeth spoke quietly to her daughter, but made no attempt to hide the awe and love in her voice, speaking clearly enough that Rodney could understand everything she said if he chose to.

She turned to look at Rodney, only to realize he'd obviously not heard a work she's said. He appeared to be almost in a trance, his gaze not leaving the blanket wrapped bundle in her arms. She smiled and gently placed Adiana into his arms and helped him close his unresponsive hands around her form protectively. Rodney held her correctly, but drew in a deep breath and held it as she mewled quietly.

Elizabeth watched him for a moment, another rush of emotion spilling over her as she reached again to touch his arm. "Rodney…breathe."

"Forgot how," was the only verbal response she got, but it apparently snapped him out of his trance and he exhaled and took another breath, adjusting his hold on the baby. "My God. 'Lizabeth, she's beautiful. She looks just like you."

He continued to stare at the baby in his arms, and then began to speak quietly, his voice suspiciously thick and emotional. "Well, hello there, Addie. I'm your dad. And I'm so glad to finally get to meet you. I can't wait to show you around, and meet all your family, and rock you to sleep and…"

"Rodney." Elizabeth's quiet voice got his attention, and he turned to her with a slightly embarrassed look, and started to hand her back. Elizabeth shook her head. "No Rodney, you can keep holding her. I just wanted you to look quickly while they were open. She's got your eyes. But I have no idea where that blond hair came from."

Rodney grinned hugely. "I was blond until I was in my late teens. No one could ever figure it out either." He traced Addie's features lightly with his index finger, and her eyes opened again. "You're right, 'Lizabeth. That's McKay blue. I was hoping she'd have your green, but I'll keep the blue."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Of course you'll keep the blue. What else could you do? Give her back?" She asked with a grin and obvious sarcasm.

Rodney looked sheepish again. "I know. Sorry. I'm just…I can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm finally holding my own child. Forgive me if I get a bit sentimental."

She nodded and moved over to wrap an arm around his waist as she stood as close as possible to just stare at the miracle that was their daughter.

* * *

After about 20 minutes of just reveling in their daughter's presence, they decided it was time to share her with their friends and exited the isolation room together, Rodney cradling her protectively. They'd promised to show her to their friends when she was born, regardless of the time of day or night.

They went into the main room of the Infirmary to call their friends, only to find that news had already spread. There in the chairs they had occupied previously, sat Radek, Sheppard and Teyla, Ronan leaning against the wall behind them and Colonel Caldwell over talking to Carson. At their entrance, Caldwell and Carson came over to join them, as Radek, Sheppard and Teyla stood. Ronan stayed slouched against the wall, but his eyes were watching them closely, a very small smile on his face.

Rodney grinned at his friends proudly, beaming like only a new father could do. He turned Addie so the others could see her, uncovering her with remarkable gentleness that surprised Elizabeth. He'd never seemed the baby type; his own claims that he hated children, along with interactions on previous missions seemed to validate this and it had never occurred to her that he'd even know what to do with a baby.

At an unspoken question, and with a quick glance to Elizabeth to make sure it was okay, Rodney gently handed her to Teyla, figuring she was a better bet at knowing how to hold her as opposed to Sheppard. Teyla accepted her quite happily, her eyes moist.

Elizabeth leaned against Rodney again. Not a hug, just a connection. He smiled down at her and put his arm around her with the confidence of a best friend who knows the advance will not be rebuffed. Quite the opposite of rebuffing, Elizabeth slid her arm around his waist and snuggled under his arm again into a position she found was becoming more familiar and much more comfortable. As she caught Rodney's eye, she nodded to him then towards their friends, giving him the okay to do the introductions.

Rodney beamed at her, and then turned to look at their friends. "Guys, Teyla, 'Lizabeth and I would like to introduce you to our daughter – Adiana Terena McKay."

Sheppard looked up from studying Addie, her fingers wrapped around his pinkie. "Ummm… really?"

Teyla elbowed him discreetly and scowled at his lack of social graces, before looking to Rodney and Elizabeth. "Do not pay him any mind. It is a lovely name for a lovely child, Doctor Weir, Doctor McKay. May she grow strong and tall and do the name proud."

Elizabeth smiled at Teyla in thanks, and was about to explain about Rodney's already shortening it to Addie, when John quickly cut in again. "Yeah, it's a pretty name. But for a little sprout like this? She's barely big enough for the McKay name, let alone the others." He looked back down and spoke to Addie. "Hey, little one. Don't worry, I'll work with the two supposedly brainy people who are your parents and we'll find you something a bit easier to go by." He winked at her, and then looked back at Rodney. "The Sprout said she agrees with me," he said with a grin.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Sprout? You are not talking to my daughter like a plant. If you must call her something, you can call her Addie like I do, and like 'Lizabeth has already started to do." He frowned as he saw that John was totally ignoring him, again playing with the baby still in Teyla's arms.

After a few more minutes, Carson quietly informed them that it would be best to let the new family rest, and Teyla reluctantly handed Addie to Elizabeth, who snuggled her close. They all said their goodbyes, again congratulating Rodney and Elizabeth. As Carson led them out to be sure they all left, Sheppard held back. "Goodbye Rodney, Elizabeth,…Sprout." With an impish grin, he quickly followed the others out, leaving the three of them alone.

Rodney scowled after John, and then looked back at Elizabeth who was grinning. "What?"

She smiled at him and sighed in exasperation. "You realize he's going to call her Sprout until she's 30, don't you?" He nodded his head slightly in resignation and her laughter rang out through the infirmary.


	5. What did they do before Pampers?

A/N: Sorry for such a long delay in posting. Hope you all stuck around. Please read and review and let me know if there's anything in particular you want to see happen and I'll see what I can do. Enjoy!

* * *

Rodney woke and stretched, immediately wincing as his back cracked. –_What the heck?-_ He looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, then down and everything clicked into place. Elizabeth slept leaning against his side, Addie snuggled securely in her arms. 

He smiled gently at the beautiful sight before him, and brought a hand up to brush against Addie's cheek as she slept. The movement woke Elizabeth and she stirred and opened her eyes. She looked at Addie, then up to Rodney.

"It wasn't a dream was it? She's really here?" Rodney grinned and nodded back down, directing her gaze to the baby asleep in her arms. Addie chose that moment to yawn a huge, gaping yawn, and Elizabeth laughed.

The laugh quickly turned to a worried frown as Addie scrunched up her face and began to fuss. "What? What did I do? What's wrong?" Elizabeth looked at Rodney, frantic, unable to figure out what she'd done wrong. She instinctively cuddled the baby closer, patting her back gently, but the cries got louder.

Rodney appeared as worried as Elizabeth sounded and looked around the room trying to find help. It was then it registered they were sitting on the couch in Carson's office, and the part of his brain not occupied with the current crisis remembered Carson letting them go in their the night before to try to get a little sleep, but keeping Addie out of the infirmary atmosphere, which seemed to never totally quiet down.

As if in answer to their worry, Carson walked into the room with a cheery grin and a container in his hands. "Ahh. 'Bout time the wee one woke up. Been waitin' for it."

"Carson! What's wrong with her! She just woke up and started crying. What do we do?" Rodney's voice got louder to cover the crying as Addie worked herself up more, regardless of Elizabeth's attempts to calm her.

Carson laughed. "Nothin' is wrong. I'm bettin' the lassie is jus' hungry. I'm amazed she made it ta now with nothin' ta eat." At Rodney and Elizabeth's relieved sighs, he laughed. "It's nae over yet though. We do nae have the supplies needed ta take care of a newborn. I spent some time with the Ancient database, searchin' files, maps and the like. Found a nursery o' sorts. At least some supplies. Found what I'm thinkin' works for a bottle, but only found 2 fer the moment. The medical records spoke of a food fer them, so I made some up followin' their recipe. Not like our formula, as ye can see." He held the container up for them to see. 'Tis clear. And thinner. But apparently it does the trick better than ours and we have no other options at the moment."

He handed the container over to Elizabeth who hesitantly nudged Addie's mouth. Addie latched on with a vengeance and the immediate silence was almost deafening. Rodney sighed with relief, as Elizabeth looked up at him with a happy grin. "Definitely has her father's fondness for food."

Rodneyglared at her and muttered, "Cheeky." But anyone who looked could see the overwhelming happiness in his smile that couldn't be dimmed.

Carson grinned at Addie's enthusiasm, and then continued. "Unfortunately, we have no idea what they used fer nappies. Apparently they have nothin' like pampers. I'm afraid you're on your own fer that one. I have nae a clue what they used, and that towel on her now will nae last fer long."

Rodney looked at Carson, then Elizabeth and grimaced. "Have I mentioned how much I dislike bodily fluids? I mean, blood alone is enough to bring on nausea. And you know getting a hypoglycemic nauseous could be a very bad thing, right? Right Carson?" Elizabeth rolled her eyes and brought Addie up to her shoulder, patting her back and laughing out loud at the incredibly loud belch that burst forth. Rodney looked…proud, was the best word to describe it. He leaned forward to pat Addie's back. "Well done! Definitely a McKay!"

Elizabeth elbowed him in jest and brought Addie back down, where she quickly latched back onto the bottle-like container. Rodney looked puzzled for a moment, before finally asking, "'Lizabeth? How did you know how to do that? I mean...I know babies have to be burped when they eat, but how do you know when?" Here, his puzzlement turned to almost frantic worry and he began to babble, jumping up to pace back and forth in the small office. "Oh God. I can't learn all that. Sure, I can learn to burp her, but why don't I know that stuff already? I'm going to have to know it and really fast. How in the world am I going to ever be able to be alone with her if I don't know something about burping her on time? It's not like she can tell me when. And I wasn't kidding about changing diapers. Maybe she can get potty trained really early? She'll surely be a genius as well, so she'll be smart enough, I'm sure. But what if she throws up? I mean, sure, I've thrown up before, but having to…."

The frantic look in his eyes, the fluttering of his hands around, and the rising panic in his voice caused Elizabeth to call out quietly but firmly. "Rodney."

He froze mid-rant and mid-step and looked at her for a long moment. As always, whatever it was he saw in her eyes quieted him. He drew a deep breath, and then continued. "Right. Right. I can learn it. I'm a genius, right? I can figure out the stargate. I learned to fly a puddle jumper. I can even fire a gun to fight a Wraith. I can surely learn how to take care of a baby with as much precision and skill. Okay…I can do this." His confident air seemed back in full force, and then he tossed a quick glance at Elizabeth, and quietly added. "Right?"

She smiled up at him, and nodded slowly. Carson looked from one to the other, and then shook his head with a chuckle. Both looked to him questioningly. He just smiled outright at them, and answered the unasked question. "Sorry. I was waitin' fer this and jus' happy I was right." At both of their confused looks, he continued. "Rodney, you've been so sure of yerself through all this, and Elizabeth was so nervous. Now, ye both swapped. I'm jus' glad my instincts were correct. Now, both of ye, don't worry. Yer gonna both be great at this. She's happy, healthy, and yer both smart people. Ye can figure it all out. Now…outta my office. I got work to do and ye need to get this wee one in somethin' other than a blankey. Besides, she's gonna be wettin' through that makeshift nappy anytime now that she's eaten. Now shoo. Out."

* * *

In no time at all, Elizabeth and Rodney found themselves in the hall outside the infirmary, Addie still tucked in Elizabeth's arms, once again asleep. With an unspoken agreement, they headed towards Elizabeth's quarters. Both seemed to realize they were closer and bigger, making them the logical place. 

Once there, they settled on her couch, subconsciously slipping back into their positions from Carson's office, with Elizabeth snuggled under Rodney's arm and against his chest. She looked up at Rodney, with tears in her eyes, but a smile on her face.

"She's really here, isn't she? I mean, we're really doing this?"

Rodney smiled and thought back to a moment about two years ago as they'd stood in the SGC just as the wormhole connected and repeated his words, this time accompanying them with a hug as he rested his cheek on the top of her head.

"Yep. Looks like we're not getting out of this one."

Elizabeth laughed and started to reply. As she adjusted her hold on Addie, she came to an unpleasant realization. Carson was right.

"Um…Rodney?"


	6. Playing House

A/N: Yay! It let me upload! Thanks to Fifi for her suggestions and to Fanwoman for an excellent beta! Enjoy! (psst, don't forget to review and let me know if ya did!)

* * *

Addie's first bath, one clean towel, two quick showers later, and all was well. Rodney, though disgusted at getting peed on, actually managed the incident with much more aplomb than Elizabeth expected. He even held Addie while Elizabeth took her shower and was talking to her quietly20 minutes later when she exited the bathroom in fresh clothes. Elizabeth stopped and smiled, taking in the sight of grouchy, snarky Doctor Rodney McKay cooing and making faces at a baby that barely filled his two hands. 

Elizabeth opened her mouth to make a comment about babies turning the most hardened adult into a babbling idiot, when she heard what he was saying, and she laughed instead. Rodney looked up in surprise at her sudden appearance, but just smiled and looked back to Addie, continuing with barely a pause.

"As I was saying Addie…let's see. Where was I? Oh yes, we were up to Uncle Carson. You've met him before. You'll like him. He's smart, even if it is in the voodoo sciences, and he's always afraid of stuff. He's not very brave. But don't worry. Your daddy is brave. Almost as brave as Uncle John. I even saved his life before. Well, lots of times, but once just by being brave."

He looked so proud, Elizabeth laughed again, before chastising him. "Rodney. You know very well that Carson is brave. He wouldn't be here otherwise."

Rodney pouted. "But Lizabeth, I need to make sure Addie knows her Daddy is braver than anyone almost and can protect her." He grinned at her and started to say something, when Addie scrunched her face up. The look on his face was priceless as he practically sprinted to Elizabeth, handing over Addie quickly. After a couple moments though, Addie relaxed her face. Elizabeth checked the diaper, andsmiled to find it still dry. Rodney exhaled in relief. "False alarm. Good."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and muttered, "Brave, huh? But afraid of a little bodily fluids?"

Rodney glared, then gave in and laughed. "Hey, I wouldn't talk. Who was the one who squealed and turned a bit green when we realized the diaper was more than wet?" He grinned at her smugly. Elizabeth raised her eyebrow in answer.

"Rodney…that was you."

The smile quickly vanished and was replaced by a slight blush and a quiet, "Ooh. Yes. Right. Well, let's keep that to ourselves, shall we?" He was just heading over to sit back on the couch when Elizabeth's door chimed. She called to whomever to come in, and the doors parted.

* * *

There, on the threshold, stood John, Teyla and Carson, each of them carryinga large box or basket. Following closely behind them was Ronan,an overlylarge, blanket-wrapped object held securely against his chest.They all came in and set the bundles down by the couch and stepped back. Before either Elizabeth or Rodney could ask the obvious questions, Teyla stepped forward and smiled. 

"Doctor Weir, Doctor McKay. Colonel Sheppard was kind enough to fly me over to the mainland, where we gathered some things I think will help both, excuse me, allof you, and to show our joy at this wonderful time." She reached down and opened the first box, and tilted it to show them an abundance of impossibly small outfits. She repeated the action with the second and third bundle, revealing soft looking blankets, what appeared to be a form of socks, and to Rodney's audible relief, several pieces of thick cloth immediately recognizable by any culture as the equivalent of diapers.

Elizabeth looked at all the things with delight, then looked at her friends one at a time with a blazing smile. Her emotions were so near the surface, she knew she had to do something, or she'd start crying again. She couldn't remember the last time she'd cried so much, but at least these were happy tears.

Rodney looked to be in almost the same boat as Elizabeth and cleared his throat, before turning to Ronan in an attempt to hold things together. "What have you got there?" Ronan stepped forward, set the bundle on the floor in front of Elizabeth and Addie and pulled the blanket off. Elizabeth gasped and couldn't stop the tear that escaped. Rodney walked over and squatted down to look at it in awe.

There on the floor was the most beautifully handmade cradle they'd ever seen. It had rockers on the bottom, allowing it to sway ever so gently at the slightest push, demonstrated by a beaming Rodney over and over. He quickly rushed to the other room to grab a pillow from Elizabeth's bed to line it, and then took theagain-sleeping baby from Elizabeth, placing her gently into the cradle. As he began to rock it slowly, he looked up at Elizabeth with a grin and let out a child-like "Cool!"

Everyone laughed good-naturedly, and John thumped him on the back with a grin. Rodney wasn't about to be embarrassed; he was having too much fun as his attention was totally captivated by the quietly sleeping baby rocking before him. Elizabeth sat on the edge of the couch, her hand coming up to rest on Rodney's shoulder as she leaned over to observe their daughter herself.

Silence reigned for a couple minutes, as the rooms other occupants realized their presence had been completely forgotten. No one was offended; everyone knows you can't compete with a new baby for attention.

Carson cleared his throat quietly, causing the still enthralled parents to jerk their eyes to him. Before they could get the apology out,Carson waved his hand dismissively. "No. Do nae think another thought abou' it. I'm sorry ta be interruptin' yer family time, but I need ta explain this." For the first time, Elizabeth and Rodney noticed the large pouch slung on his shoulder. At their unspoken question, he continued.

"I made up quite a bit o' food for the wee one. Accordin' to the database, it does nae need ta be kept cold and does nae spoil as long as ya keep it sealed when yer not usin' it, so ya can make as much as ya want at a time. I made enough to get ya through several days at least. Just fill the bottle container about ¼ of the way up fer each feedin'."

Elizabeth smiled gratefully at Carson and stood to kiss his cheek gently, then repeated the action to John and even stretched up to do to same to Ronan. Much to everyone's delight, Ronan blushed and looked away quickly. She then hugged Teyla, thanking her profusely and asking her to relay their thanks to the Athosians who'd obviously contributed to the bounty surrounding them.

* * *

Everyone took their leave then, and it wasonce again just Rodney, Elizabeth, and a sleeping Addie. Elizabeth began to go through the box of clothes and the next several minutes were filled withsoft "oohs" and "ahhs" as she examined the intricate stitching and skilled craftsmanship. When she finally turned to show a particularly adorable outfit to Rodney, she froze to see him sprawled on her couch, sound asleep. His hand hung over the side, holding on to the cradle tightly, even in his sleep. 

She smiled and reached down to smooth his hair and froze at the intimate act she had almost done without even thinking about it. She'd become so caught up in playing "family," that she'd forgotten they weren't one. Elizabeth smiled fondly at the sleeping scientist, a tinge of sadness in her eyes, and then checked on Addie. She was starting to stir, so she quietly gathered the precious bundle, a diaper and the formula and went into her bedroom.

There, she changed Addie's once again wet diaper and quickly poured the formula into the bottle and proceeded to feed Addie. She had to admit, these diapers were much better than the towel Carson had used. As Addie ate quietly, Elizabeth tapped her earpiece and contacted Colonel Caldwell.

She had a long conversation with him, arranging for him to take charge for a few days while she adjusted to motherhood. He'd become such a part of the Atlantis team lately, she was finally comfortable asking him, and knew he wouldn't attempt to change things like last time. She also asked him to put in a request to the SGC on their next trip for all the various things a newborn baby needed. While the Athosiansgifts were nice, especially the diapers, if she had to use cloth diapers, she'd prefer rubber pants to go over them.

Caldwell laughed, and she realized she'd said that part aloud. He assured her he'd anticipated the request, and that his 2IC had already departed with the Daedalus towards Earth on a route that had become routine. He assured her they would load the holds with enough stuff to get Rodney and Elizabeth through until Addie was potty trained. She was skeptical, 'til he reminded her of the size of the Daedalus, and she laughed along with him. She smiled in relief as she realized they only had to make it for a few weeks with cloth diapers.

She had just disconnected the call when she heard a loud thud, then a panicked "LIZABETH!" Elizabeth jumped up and ran into the other room, to find Rodney on the floor, having obviously fallen off the couch. He looked up at her frantically. "Where's Addie!"

She hurried over to him and helped him up, but his confusion caused by hisabrupt awakening was making it difficult. "Rodney. Rodney, calm down. She's fine. She's sleeping in the bedroom. When she woke up, I took her in there to feed and change her. I needed to talk to Caldwell, and didn't want to wake you. You looked like you could use the sleep." As she spoke soothingly, she helped him stand and led him to the bedroom, where he could see the sleeping baby for himself.

As he sawAddie was alright, he heaved a huge sigh, and she could see him relax mightily, though he was obviously still keyed up. Elizabeth led him back to the living room, and then sat on the couch sideways, facing him as he sat down, too. He stretched his arm along the back of the couch and immediately started toying with a curl at the back of her neck. She almost protested at the familiarity, but decided to stay quiet. Besides the fact that he obviously needed the comfort after such a scare, _-it feels too good-_ Elizabeth thought with a faint blush.

If Rodney noticed the blush, he didn't say anything. He didn't even seem to realize he was touching her, though she was keenly aware of it. His mind was obviously elsewhere, though she quickly found out where his focus waswhen she told him he could go back to his quarters for the rest of the evening if he was that tired.

Rodney was already shaking his head before she'd finished speaking. "Lizabeth, I'm not leaving her. Waking and finding her cradle empty scared me half to death. I won't, I _can't_ go to an entirely different room several hallways away."

The conviction in his voice was strong, and some part of her realized all along that he wouldn't just leave. She leaned away from him reluctantly in an effort to steady herself and decided to compromise. "Alright. You can sleep here. On the couch," she emphasized at his surprised look. I'm gonna pull the cradle into the bedroom so I can get up with her when she needs fed though. Okay?"

Rodney didn't seem particularly happy with the arrangement, but knew better than to argue, lest he get booted from her quarters altogether.

At his nod of acceptance, Elizabeth decided there was no time like the present and dragged the cradle into her room and next to her bed. She then went out to give Rodney an extra blanket and pillow. A final trip to the restroom, and a subdued, almost shy goodnight to Rodney, and she was headed to her room.

As the door closed behind her, she let out a sigh of relief, then changed into comfortable shorts and a tank top for sleeping. She gently placed Addie in the cradle, and then climbed into bed. Her mind was going too fast to shut down, so she decided to let it wander where it wanted. The events of the exciting day obviously had caught up with her quickly though, and she was asleep in no time.

* * *

Something woke her several hours later. It was dark in the room, and she had no idea what time it was. She heard slight fussing from the cradle; but when it quickly quieted,she left the baby in the cradle.She settled back down to rest, and looked around the room.Elizabeth gasped as her eyes came to rest on Rodney. He was sitting on the floor on the other side of the cradle, his back against the wall, sound asleep. Next to him sat an empty bottle. 

Elizabeth grabbed her watch and checked the time, surprised that she'd been asleep for almost 6 hours. Rodney must have heard Addie and come in to care for her, letting Elizabeth sleep. She looked at him again and saw him shiver, his blanket obviously forgotten in the other room.

That was it. She was only so strong, and seeing the poor man in such a state was more than she could take. She climbed out of bed and bent down to shake his shoulder gently. "Rodney. Rodney, wake up."

He opened bleary eyes, not fully awake. "Liz'beth? Wha's wrong?"

She smiled at him, sympathy and caring for him in her eyes. "Shhh...Nothing's wrong, Rodney. But you need to get up. You're going to catch a cold."

Rodney pulled back sleepily, and muttered. "No.I need to be here in case she needs me again. I'm fine."

Elizabeth stopped and looked at the door to living room, then Rodney again. With no words, she turned around and tugged him to the bed, as he looked at her with sleepy confusion. She pulled the cover on the other side of the bed down, and guided him to sit, then lay, and then covered him up. She walked around to the other side of the bed and got in, rolling to face him with a small smile.

"It's okay, now. Just sleep, Rodney. I'll listen for Addie." He reached out to grasp one of her hands, smiling sleepily, and she let him, curling her fingers around his. "Just sleep, Rodney. We'll figure it all out in the morning."


	7. Still just playing?

A/N: Okay people, don't forget to read and review. And tell me if you've got something you wanna see! Enjoy!

* * *

Amazingly, the morning never came. Oh, morning came like normal, but not the talk she'd planned. When Elizabeth woke up, Rodney was gone. On the screen of her laptop, he'd typed a note; letting her know he'd gone to take a shower and change clothes, and he'd be back.

By the time Rodney returned, Addie was awake again and another day began. Eat, sleep, wet, sleep, poop, sleep, and eat. Over and over an over in what seemed to be an endless loop. She was an amazingly docile and good-natured baby, thankfully. If she cried, it was because she was wet or needed to eat. Rectifying the problem stopped the crying almost immediately.

The days passed very quickly, and Rodney and Elizabeth slipped into a pattern with shocking ease. Every night, Elizabeth would go to sleep, while Rodney sat on her couch either feeding Addie an evening bottle, playing with her, or if she was asleep he'd work on one ofthe endless projects on his laptop he'd brought down from his lab. He was used to staying up late, so he took the first nighttime feeding.

And yet somehow, no matter what they did, he ended up in the bed by morning. When Elizabeth asked him, he swore he didn't ever remember coming into the bed, and she didn't push him. She didn't mind, and he got real sleep. Besides, she enjoyed the warm body in her bed. A few times she'd woken in the middle of the night to find him spooned up behind her, his arm around her waist. The first time, she'd lain awake the rest of the night, trying not to think about how **right** it felt. She'd woken up to find him gone in the morning like normal and she'd never mentioned it to him. Now, whenever it happened, she gently snuggled back against him, threaded her fingers through his, and went back to sleep with a smile on her face.

After a week or two, Rodney and Elizabeth worked out a pretty good routine outside of her quarters too. After Rodney got back from his shower, Elizabeth would shower and dress while he fed and dressed Addie. Then they'd all go to breakfast together and Elizabeth would take Addie on her morning walk to check in with the departments as she did every morning. Rodney would retire to his lab to work until lunchtime. They'd meet back for lunch, and Elizabeth loved these times.

Rodney would act like he'd not seen Addie in days, and she always seemed to thrive on the attention. After lunch, Elizabeth would go to her office and work, and Rodney would take the baby with him to the lab. He'd taken himself off the mission roster, and spent his time doing the research that he loved, though Elizabeth had noticed he seemed to be much more careful, not touching things as recklessly as before, taking more precautions.

They'd meet again for dinner, and then retire back to her quarters. Most of the evenings were spent just marveling in the miracle that was their daughter. Sometimes, they'd go out on the balcony, and Rodney would point out different stars to her, trying to find ones that would fit constellations from home or just making up legends on the spot.

Sometimes, their friends would come over. Carson checked in every couple days. Partly to save them any trips to the infirmary, and partly to see his friends. Addie was a very healthy baby, and the visits quickly became more social than needed. Carson loved going, simply because, whether they knew it or not, his friends had become a family and everything about them just glowed with happiness.

Many nights, there were no visitors. Addie was dozing, or absorbed in the wonders around her. On those evenings, Rodney and Elizabeth would talk. About anything and everything. Elizabeth learned about his less than stellar childhood. He learned about the father she adored. She learned he loathed playing chess, but studied and became a master, just because his father said he should. His parents had no idea what to do with him, so he'd done everything he could to please them, yet always fell short.

As they got closer, Elizabeth shared her fears of inadequacy about leading such a large mission, about Simon and her sadness at the ending of their relationship, and then her guilt at how quickly she'd moved on. Rodney simply held her at times like that, letting her know she wasn't alone, and that no one could possibly blame her.

Elizabeth learned that his fierce protectiveness and loving attention to Addie was part of a vow he'd made to himself when he was 13 and his intelligence had come to light. He'd sworn that if he ever had children, they would never doubt his unconditional love and acceptance, like he had. She'd cried when she'd heard that, and silently thanked God more than once that Rodney was the father of her daughter. Every day, they grew closer and closer, until Elizabeth could barely remember a time when Rodney wasn't a large part of her life.

The weeks passed, and the Daedalus returned. Her holds were full of all the things Addie would need. From a proper crib, a stroller and cozy for carrying her, to toys, clothes and enough diapers to get her through five years, in Rodney's estimation.

They stored half of the supplies in his quarters, all the things Addie wouldn't need for months or even years. The crib was also stored there for now. They'd decided they preferred the cradle Teyla had brought, and Addie seemed happy with it. The rest was squeezed into Elizabeth's quarters and they rapidly took on the feel of a home, not just a place to sleep.

* * *

One night, Elizabeth scooted back to snuggle against Rodney, still half asleep. She came fully awake when she realized he wasn't there. She picked up her watch from the bedside table, and saw it was after 4. He was always in bed by 3, and she quickly got up to see what had happened.

A quick glance showed the cradle was also empty. Since Addie had passed the 6 weeks mark, she'd been sleeping almost all night through, though Elizabeth wasn't about to kick Rodney out. She'd come to enjoy his presence more than she'd expected. She made her way into the living room curiously. Addie had been uncharacteristically grouchy earlier and Rodney had been rocking her quietly when he'd shooed Elizabeth to bed. He'd convinced her he could take care of it, and that she needed her sleep for her meetings the next day.

She approached the doorway to the living room and stopped in awe and surprise. She saw Rodney walking and bouncing a quietly fussing Addie. Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something, but immediately shut it as Rodney started talking again.

"Come on, Addie. Please, Daddy's sleepy. One more song, then you'll sleep, okay?" Obviously not expecting an answer, he quickly nodded in decision, and then started to sway with the music in his head. To Elizabeth's amazement, he began to sing, and she had to bite her lip to stop the burst of laughter.

She quickly recognized the lyrics and tune to "Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred. She was amazed he knew the song, but her amazement was quickly overcome by shock as he got to the chorus.

"I'm a model you know what I mean. And I do my little turn on the catwalk." As he sang, he began to strut like all the models, sashaying his hips and doing a little turn at the appropriate moment. As she watched with amusement, Elizabeth realized that while Addie was still not happy, she's stopped crying.

Elizabeth stepped fully in to the room as Rodney did his next catwalk turn and he spun to face her. He froze in embarrassment, his face flaming as his voice faded away to nothing. Elizabeth couldn't decide if she should make a sarcastic comment, take pity on him and accept it, or just pretend she'd never seen anything. She'd just decided on the pretending, when the opportunity for response was taken from her.

Rodney opened his mouth, shut it, and opened it again, before sighing. "Lizabeth. Sorry if we woke you. Miss Addie is fussy and won't go to sleep. I'm guessing maybe she's not feeling well. Maybe her stomach? She didn't eat much earlier."

Elizabeth stepped forward in concern, and rubbed her hand over Addie's stomach soothingly. Addie chose that moment to open her mouth and throw up all over Rodney's chest.

He'd never been so disgusted in his life. He stood there in horror as he was drenched. He'd heard of projectile vomiting, but had never seen it outside a horror movie, and he couldn't say he was sorry. Elizabeth froze in shock, and looked down in Addie in amazement.

Rodney quickly handed Addie to Elizabeth, and his face turned to one of revulsion. "How in the world can such a sweet and tiny little thing make such a huge mess? Hey! Lizabeth! It's not funny!"

Elizabeth stood there silently, her shoulders shaking from forcibly held laughter. Rodney rolled his eyes and made a face in resignation, pulling his shirt away from his chest carefully with his thumb and one finger. Addie decided to remind them of her presence and did something she'd never done. She laughed loudly and delightedly at the sight of her father.

Rodney's jaw dropped and he looked back and forth from Addie to Elizabeth and back. "Lizabeth…she's…she's laughing. At me." The awe in his voice fought for dominance with the pride and joy. He seemed so amazed, it made Elizabeth want to hug him.

Except he was covered in baby vomit, which was not a pleasant smell. While hearing Addie laugh was a precious thing to them both, standing in the living room at 4 am, covered in vomit was enough to quickly draw the moment to a close. Rodney stood there in indecision, until Elizabeth took pity on him. "Rodney, go use my shower. That smell will never fade as long as it's all over you."

He nodded thankfully and vanished quickly into the bathroom. Elizabeth changed and cleaned Addie up, who, after baptizing her father, quickly fell asleep. She laid her back in her cradle and went back out to the couch to wait for Rodney.

* * *

She must have dozed off, because she never heard the shower shut off. The next thing she heard was the door opening, and she looked up, startled. There stood Doctor Rodney McKay, the man who was her daughter's father, her chief scientist, and quickly cementing himself as her best friend. And yet, it was as if she'd never seen him before and her mouth dropped open. She'd never seen a nearly naked Rodney and she wasn't sure her brain would ever reengage.

Rodney McKay stood in the doorway in indecision at the sight of Elizabeth. He'd assumed she'd gone back to bed. He could not force himself to put the dirty clothes back on. His shirt, sweatpants, and even boxers were wet, so he'd had to make do with a towel wrapped low around his waist. He felt hideously exposed and was trying to decide if he should sink back into the bathroom, or brave it out.

For her part, Elizabeth was thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to take an incredibly detailed inventory of the man she saw before her. From his towel dried and tousled hair, to shockingly well defined shoulders. She marveled at his stomach, which was much firmer than when they arrived. She smiled happily when she saw there was still a definite softness though, thankful he still had not gotten too toned and still had a little belly.

Her eyes quickly skirted his towel wrapped hips and continued down to his feet, before coming back up to meet his eyes. She blushed brightly at the look on his face.

"See something you like, Lizabeth?" Her face flamed brighter, but she squared her shoulders and decided to brazen it out.

"Maybe." It was Rodney's turn to blush and he quickly snapped his mouth shut. She laughed at the audible snap and quickly scooted over to the end of the couch. "Rodney, come sit down. At least get the blanket, you've got to be cold."

Rodney was still working on wrapping his mind around her answer. He finally decided to push a little more and see what she did. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean me sitting here while not fully dressed. Can you keep your wits about you with this amazing specimen in such close proximity?" He flexed his bicep, and even Elizabeth had to admit she was impressed at the size.

She blushed again, and then laughed. "Rodney, I think I can contain myself." At his crestfallen look, she added, "for now." She grinned at the expression on his face. He dropped down to sit next to her, looking like he'd just seen Santa dropping off the long awaited new bike.

Elizabeth sobered and realized they had an issue. She had a naked Rodney McKay in her living room at 4:30 in the morning. He had no clothes he could wear, and the city would be waking up soon. She couldn't send him back to his quarters in a towel.

She realized the only solution to the situation, and stood decisively, causing Rodney to look up at her questioningly.

"Rodney, I need your code to get in your quarters." At his puzzled look, she explained. "I'm going to get you some clothes. You can't go out like that, and I'd rather take care of it while most of the city is still asleep."

Understanding dawned in his eyes, and he smiled gratefully. "I was wondering about how that was gonna work, and I'll admit I'm too tired. I couldn't think of a solution at the moment. But…" his expression turned to mortification and he dropped his eyes and mumbled something.

Elizabeth couldn't understand what had caused the abrupt shift in his demeanor and asked gently, "Rodney? What's wrong? Is it because I asked for your door code? I'm sorry. I know it's private, but I need it to get in your rooms, and I don't want to have to call the control room to override it."

Rodney looked up at her, a sad smile on his face. "Actually, you don't need it Lizabeth. Umm…you're an authorized occupant. You can come and go as you want."

She looked at him in awe. "Wait…you added authorization for me to move freely into and out of your room? I'm…well, I'm honored, but I had no idea. When did that happen?"

He blushed lightly. "A couple weeks ago actually, when the Daedalus got here with all the new stuff. I figured you'd need to go in there at some point and you wouldn't want to wait for me every time. Besides….well...it's **you**, Lizabeth. I have no secrets from you. You're welcome in my rooms anytime." He looked down again, the blush deepening, but with the smile still on his face.

Elizabeth had no idea how to reply about that. Certainly, she'd had him add his own ID to her quarters, but he was always there. She hadn't expected him to do the same for her. She was touched, and a little amazed that he'd trust anyone that much, and the honor she felt doubled.

"Well…thank you. I'll do my best not to betray that trust." She smiled at him, resting her hand against his shoulder, and then sliding it up to cup his cheek until he met her eyes. She held the pose until she knew that he could see the sincerity in her eyes. He nodded in silent acknowledgment to the emotions he saw on her face and she dropped her hand slowly, then turned and left the room.

* * *

Elizabeth made it to Rodney's quarters unseen and smiled to herself as the doors did indeed open without hesitation to her arrival. She entered and looked around. Every available inch was filled with Addie's things. He was normally an amazingly organized person, and she wondered if the clutter was bothering him.

She shook her head in immediate answer to her own silent question. It wasn't. The stuff was for Addie, and she'd learned over the last few weeks, he'd do almost anything for the beautiful baby that his life now revolved around.

Elizabeth realized she'd been standing there for quite some time and rapidly gathered up clothes for Rodney. She tried not to think about the fact that she was elbows deep in his underwear drawer. The site of the sun breaking over the horizon snapped her out of her thoughts and she turned and quickly headed out of his quarters, her head down and she tried to hold the bundle together.

She didn't see the body right outside the door, hand poised to buzz the room to notify the occupant of his presence. Elizabeth crashed into him hard, and fell back on her rear, Rodney's clothes flying everywhere. She looked up in annoyance at the delay and opened her mouth to chastise the person, but the words died in her throat at the sight of the visitor.

"Um…Colonel. John. Good morning." Elizabeth prayed to everyone she could think of that the floor under her would just open swallow her up, and in the process, erase the smug look on Sheppard's face.

This day had all the makings of being a trying one, and it wasn't even 6 am yet.


	8. Game Over

A/N: And here we go. Final chapter. There will probably be a short epilogue in the next few days though. I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did! If you did, please let me know!

* * *

Many moments passed. They floor didn't swallow her, and John didn't leave. Elizabeth climbed to her feet, and tried for the bluff. "This is not what it looks like, **Colonel.**" Her subtle emphasis on his rank rather than his name didn't deter John at all. He merely raised an eyebrow and waited. She stared at him for a moment, and then sighed in resignation.

"Okay fine. It probably IS what it looks like. But it's not for the reasons you're thinking. Addie threw up on Rodney, and he needed new clothes. I'm not going to have him walking through Atlantis in a…." Elizabeth slammed her mouth shut with an audible snap, but it was too late. John's other eyebrow rose to mirror the first. His jaw hung open for a moment, and then he broke into a grin so large, it was all Elizabeth could do to not remove it for him.

"Fine. Think what you want. But I have to get these back to Rodney." She turned on her heel and walked away. It took John about 3 seconds to realize she'd left, and then he quickly hurried after her.

"Aww…don't get upset, Elizabeth. I think it's…sweet." Elizabeth rolled her eyes and walked on. She quickly reached her door and opened it. Rodney stood on the other side of the room, staring out the balcony doors.

Elizabeth stopped in her tracks, entranced by the sight. With the sunlight shining through the balcony door, all she could see was his outline, and her breath caught at the indescribable beauty of the scene before her.

Hearing the door, Rodney began to speak as he turned. "Lizabeth. Finally. I was starting to wonder what took you so…" He saw John and froze, his hand subconsciously going to his waist to grip the towel firmly. "Sheppard."

John's grin returned in full force, if not bigger. "Ummm…Rodney. Good morning, I take it?"

Rodney glared. "Oh yes, Colonel. I decided my regular soap fragrance wasn't quite me, so I figured I'd try a new scent! Eau de Vomit. Care to try it out yourself? I'm sure it would be an improvement over that stuff you wear now." Elizabeth stifled a laugh at Rodney's snark. She had gotten so used to the gentle Rodney she saw every evening that she'd forgotten how skilled he was at cutting people off at the knees when provoked.

However, John's smile never dimmed. He'd learned long ago that Rodney was a tootsie roll pop. Hard and tough on the outside, but squishy in the middle. Rodney realized John wasn't going to retaliate, and he seemed in no hurry to leave.

"Oh come on! Either get in here or leave! But stop holding the door open to advertise my current fashion statement." John laughed and stepped forward, letting the door slide shut. Rodney raised an eyebrow and scowled at John. "Fine, stay. Just…be quiet. Addie is finally sleeping." He walked over to Elizabeth, taking his fresh clothes with a grateful smile, and then headed into the bathroom to get dressed.

It was less that 10 minutes later, but by the time Rodney emerged, Elizabeth and John were sitting comfortably on the couch, Addie supported on John's knee and looking quite happy to be there. He looked at Elizabeth with a question as he walked towards her and sat on the arm of the couch at her side. Their eyes locked and she shrugged, cocking her head a bit, and then settled back. Rodney stretched his arm along the back of the couch for leverage and Elizabeth subconsciously leaned into him.

John watched the silent communication and couldn't help but feel a bit like a voyeur. There was nothing improper about their actions, and yet he still felt like he was somehow privileged to see something special. He quickly turned his attention back to Addie.

"Sprout, I hope your parents are taking good care of you. If not, you know your Uncle John's got your back, right?" Rodney opened his mouth to retort then barked a short laugh as Addie blew a raspberry at John first.

"She's got your number, Sheppard. And her name's not Sprout!" He knew it was hopeless. He couldn't count the number of times he'd told John that, and it only seemed to encourage him.

"First of all, she knows her Uncle John loves her. Secondly, she's growing like a weed. Would you rather I call her Weed?" He turned to grin at the other two as Addie laughed at something only she knew. At the sound, Rodney looked down with a grin as Elizabeth looked up at him. Their eyes locked again, sharing something no one else could understand and John once again felt like an intruder. He cleared his throat and stood.

"Well…I need to get going. Breakfast, workout, all that stuff." He handed Addie over to Elizabeth, nodded to Rodney and headed out without another word.

Elizabeth looked puzzled, but couldn't think of anything they had done to cause John's abrupt mood change. She gave Addie a kiss on the forehead, and handed her to Rodney. "I need to get going too. I've got a meeting in about 20 minutes."

Rodney juggled Addie to one arm and quickly headed for the desk, and returned holding a powerbar. "I know. It's not much. But it's better than nothing." Elizabeth's stomach growled loudly and she laughed, taking the powerbar.

"I hate these things. They make my breath stink for the rest of the day." She made a face and he laughed.

Without a thought, he winked. "Don't worry; I'll eat one too so it doesn't matter." The second the meaning of his words hit her, Elizabeth's eyes went wide, and then she blushed prettily.

"Why, Rodney McKay? Are you flirting with me?" Rodney looked at her for a moment, and then shrugged uncomfortably. She grinned and stretched forward, kissed him on the cheek and whispered, "Because if you are, let me know. I have breath mints, so it shouldn't be a problem."

With that, she headed out with a wink and grin, leaving Rodney with a faraway look in his eye and holding his cheek.

* * *

Three meetings and four hours later, Elizabeth trudged back to their quarters tiredly. _–Hmmm…I wonder when I started thinking of it as ours and not just mine?-_ The answer was pretty clear. At about the same time she'd started to think of Rodney as hers too – that first night when she'd found him asleep on the floor, and if she was honest, probably even earlier. As far as she was concerned, they were a family, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Now…if she could just find a way to convince Rodney.

She entered her quarters and looked around, and smiled tenderly at the site of Rodney reclining on the couch, asleep. Addie was sprawled out on his chest, quiet snores sounding through the room, echoing Rodney's louder ones. Elizabeth grinned and decided to leave them alone. Rodney hadn't slept at all last night and they looked comfortable. As a huge, unladylike yawn seized her, she decided a nap was in order. She headed to her bedroom and was asleep within two minutes of her head hitting the pillow.

* * *

A quiet mumbling slowly made its way into her consciousness, dragging her awake unwillingly. She opened her eyes, frowning when she saw the shadows that had grown considerably since she'd fallen asleep. She dragged herself out of bed and padded towards the living room, the fog over her brain heavy and thick. As she reached the doorway, the mumbling became clear and she looked around to locate the source.

Rodney and Addie were sitting on her desk chair on the balcony. She approached the door and was about to let him know she was awake when she heard her name. Feeling a bit guilty, but not enough to stop herself from listening, she leaned forward.

"Addie, what are we gonna do?" He got quiet for a moment, then continued. "Yes, I know. Mommy loves you. How could she not? But where do I fit in? I mean…your mom is an amazing woman – so far above my level. She's smart like me. That's good. But she's all those things I'm not. She's beautiful, and funny and good with people. She's never gonna be interested in someone like me."

He paused again, and Elizabeth imagined him watching Addie for an answer. Her thoughts were verified when he continued again. "Yes, I know she likes me. Sweetie, your mommy's my best friend. But how can I chance ruining that? She's the first person who's even been able to look past my bluster and see me. I can't lose that. I'd rather have her as my friend than nothing. I….I love her too much to risk losing her."

Elizabeth raised a hand to her mouth to try to muffle the gasp, her eyes welling quickly. She backed away silently and hurried to her room. She sat down numbly on the bed, her mind whirling with all she'd heard.

She knew Rodney cared for her. She cared for him too. He **was **her best friend. And the father of her daughter. They would forever be linked through that, no matter what else developed.

_-What do I want to develop? Do I really want to risk what we've got now to maybe have a chance at something more?-_

Before the thought could even fade, her heart responded with a resounding "YES!" She smiled as she thought back to the last couple of months. The late night deep discussions. Introducing Addie to life on Atlantis. The knowledge that someone was always there and wanted to hear what she had to say. The overwhelming rightness of it all.

She knew what she had to do. She just had to figure out how.

* * *

It was well into the night when Rodney returned to their rooms. _– Hmm…when did I start thinking of it as ours and not just hers?- _He smiled as the answer hit him. When Addie had slept through the night, he'd started waiting for Elizabeth to send him back to his quarters in the evenings. But as the days went on, and the order still didn't come, he began to relax. He realized she didn't mind his company and he settled in.

He entered the living room quietly. He'd missed dinner as he finished a project and he knew Elizabeth and Addie would already be asleep. He walked quietly to the bedroom door and peeked in. He saw Elizabeth sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning forward to talk to Addie, who lay in her cradle, sleeping quietly.

"Addie, I have no idea what I'm going to say. How do I let Daddy know I want him to stay? To be a real family? What if he's just staying because he loves you?

Rodney's eyes went wide as he watched the scene before him. He drew in a deep breath and held it, waiting for her to go on. Elizabeth looked at the door out of the corner of her eye to make sure Rodney was still there. Once she was sure he was listening, she smiled slightly and continued.

"I mean…what if he doesn't know how much he means to me? What if he thinks I don't care?" As she talked, she slowly turned her head until she was looking at Rodney, but continued talking as if to Addie. Her voice dropped to the barest whisper as the first tear dripped down her cheek. "What if he never realizes how important he is to me?"

Rodney felt everything around him fade, until the only clear thing in the room was Elizabeth. His mouth moved, but no sound came out. Elizabeth rose from the bed and walked closer to him, not stopping until only inches separated them. "How do I tell him I love him?"

Rodney closed his eyes as he exhaled fully. When he opened them again, Elizabeth saw the tears glistening. He reached a trembling hand up to rest against her cheek. "You…you love me? Really?"

Elizabeth smiled and nodded, reaching her own hand up to his cheek to complete the circle. She tried to swallow the emotion in her throat to answer him, but she knew if she tried to say anything, she'd never get anything to come out. She answered him the only way she knew she could – she leaned forward and stretched up to gently kiss him, then drew back slowly.

Rodney reacted without thought. He slid the hand on her cheek around to the back of her neck and pulled her forward until their mouths connected again. It was sweet and gentle and everything he'd imagined it would be all those mornings he'd laid spooned up with her watching her sleep.

It could have been minutes or hours later, he'd never know. But finally the kiss came to an end and they separated. At some point, her arms had moved to wrap around his neck, and her fingers toyed gently with the short hairs she found there.

Theirgazes locked and he saw all the love he felt for her, reflected in her gaze. She smiled at him and stepped back, letting her hands slide down his arms and taking both his hands in hers. She tugged him gently walking backwards towards the cradle. Once they were standing in front of it, she turned, and leaned her back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Together they watched their daughter sleep for several minutes before Elizabeth turned in his arms and kissed him again. She pulled back after a few moments and walked to the bed, pulling the blanket and sheet down.

"Well…it's been a long day. I think it's time for bed."

Rodney smiled and nodded, and turned to go. As he reached the door, Elizabeth called quietly, "Rodney?"

He turned back and smiled gently in question. Elizabeth pulled the blanket down on the other side of the bed, and then looked up to meet his gaze.

"Aren't you coming to bed?"


	9. Epilogue Reset and Do Over?

A/N: Sorry this took so long. My computer went kaput. Got a new one and got this up with 24 hours of getting the new comp. So here you go. Final closing to Atlantis Sprouts. Huge thanks to Jen, the RL momma of the RL Sprout. hugs Thanks for your help, Doc! I hope you all enjoyed it! Please, read AND review to let me know! Thanks!

* * *

Rodney McKay heaved a sigh of relief. Addie was finally asleep. At 3 ½ years old, she was of the opinion that naps were for babies. However, at 41 years, Rodney claimed seniority, and she took a nap every afternoon. 

He quickly headed to the bathroom and stripped down, stepping into the shower. He'd been running short on time that morning, had to skip his morning shower, and had regretted it ever since.

Rodney hurried through his shower as much as possible, pausing to take off his wedding ring and scrub it to try to clean the dirt that inevitably collected in the etching. He got it as clean as he could, and slipped it back on with a smile as his mind wandered back. It had been 2 years since he and Elizabeth had gone to Earth for a vacation and made it legal. His ring hadn't been removed for more than cleaning since, and he intended to never change that habit.

Realizing he'd been under the water for a long time, and that he had several things to do before Addie woke up, he finished quickly and got out. He toweled off and tied off the towel around his waist before heading out to Elizabeth and his bedroom to retrieve the clothes that he always forgot to take with him into the bathroom. As he passed the door to Addie's room, he heard a sound and quietly opened the door to peak in and make sure she was okay.

As the door opened, all thought of clothes left at the view in front of him. Sitting there cross-legged on the bed was a filthy Addie. In her hands…Rodney's jaw dropped. There was a pile of wrappers from several chocolate bars. He let out a groan.

At the sound, Addie looked up and grinned, causing Rodney to groan again. She had chocolate from her forehead to her chin. His eyes followed the path. Her shirt was a lost cause, and she was happily licking melted chocolate from her upper arm.

Rodney's brain finally kicked in and he burst out, "Oh, you're kidding me! ADDIE! What did you do?" He glared as she gave him what Elizabeth called his 'not too bright, are you?' look and then cocked her eyebrow just like Elizabeth.

"Don't give me that look, Addie. Your mother does that. And why did you do all this?" He sighed as she just sat there smiling and working on licking her hands clean. When he realized no answer was forthcoming, he sighed and strode forward. "Well, come on. We've got to get you clean in a hurry. Daddy's got a meeting in less than two hours."

As he got close, Addie scooted back and scrambled off the other side of the bed. "No Daddy! No bath! Addie loves chockit. Want some?" She held her hand out to offer him a lick and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling at the adorable smile and frowned again.

"No thank you, Addie. Daddy's not hungry. But you need to get clean fast. Come with me." He reached out for her hand, but she pulled it away quickly and darted around him.

"No bath, Daddy!" She dashed into the other room, causing him to spin to try to catch her, failing and making a mad grab for the dangerously slipping towel. He secured it again and headed into the living room.

"Adiana, stop this. I need to get dressed and get you cleaned so we can take you to Mommy and I can go to my meeting." He tried to not let his exasperation show through his voice, but it caused Addie to pause. Daddy never called her Adiana unless he was mad.

"Daddy mad at Addie? I sorry." Her bottom lip trembled and Rodney's balloon of frustration deflated instantly. He squatted down to look her in the eye and smiled.

"No, Sprout. Daddy's not mad. We've just got to hurry and go see Mommy."

At his words, Addie looked at him and grinned, then rolled her eyes like she'd seen Rodney do and placed sticky hands on each of his cheeks and spoke slowly. "Not Daddy's Sprout. Unca John's Sprout. Daddy's Addie." She grinned, showing all her teeth and patted his cheek lightly.

Rodney couldn't help but laugh and kissed one sticky hand. "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry Miss Addie." She giggled and he stood up. "Now, let's get you cleaned up and we'll go see Mommy." He turned towards the bathroom to get a wet rag, but whirled around at the sound of the door.

Addie stood in the middle of the open door, causing Rodney to once again curse Janus for giving her the gene, and such a pure, undiluted one at that. He reached out with his own mind to close the door again, and frowned as they stayed open. He looked down at Addie again with a questioning look.

She grinned at him and said, "Go see Momma, Daddy!" and dashed out the door. He groaned and ran after her, hollering her name and for her to stop. It wasn't until his towel began to slip dangerously that he remembered he wasn't dressed.

He ran back to their quarters and hastily threw on his clothes, before running back out. He wasn't worried for Addie's safety. Everyone on Atlantis loved her, and she knew the way to Elizabeth's office by memory. Still…he wanted to explain her appearance to Elizabeth **before** Addie convinced her it was all his fault. He puffed and ran faster.

* * *

Elizabeth sat twirling her wedding ring while deep in thought. She'd finished her meeting early and was waiting for Rodney to get there with Addie. Hopefully they could manage to have lunch all together before he had to go to his meeting. She glanced down at her ring and let her mind wander while she waited. 

They'd just passed their 2-year anniversary and she couldn't help but look up at and smile at the picture on her desk. Smiling back from a small silver frame was a picture someone had snapped the last time they were on Earth. It had been right after some function they'd had to attend. She and Rodney stood side by side. Standing in front of them, holding a hand from each of them, was a laughing Addie. Her blond curls had started darkening before she was a year old and her hair was now almost the same color as Rodney's hair, but with curls that matched her mother's.

She was instantly drawn out of her thoughts as a blur flew past her. She whipped her head around to find Addie standing on the other side of the office, crouching behind a chair.

"Addie, what are you doing? And….oh my goodness. What have you got all over you?"

Addie grinned. "Look. Chockit, Momma." She held her hands up proudly. She seemed to realize her mother wasn't going to fuss, and she came out from behind the chair with that crooked McKay smile that Elizabeth loved. Elizabeth grabbed her hand and kissed a fingertip, making Addie grin as she licked her lips at the chocolate with a "yum!"

"Yes, I see, Addie. Now…where's Daddy? You know you're not supposed to be out alone." Addie looked down with a frown, but she was way too bubbly a child to stay sad for long. She quickly looked up with a grin and whispered, "Daddy gots no clothes on, Momma!"

Elizabeth had leaned forward to hear the whisper but jerked back in surprise at the words. She couldn't hold back the laugh as she caught sight of Rodney entering the Control Room and dropped her head into her hands as he jogged through, hollering loudly, "Adiana Terena McKay! You BETTER be in Mommy's office!"

Everyone snickered but immediately dropped their eyes back to their computer screens at his glare. Addie froze, whispered "Uh oh. All Addie's names." Her eyes going wide as she quickly scurried under Elizabeth's desk, hugging her mother's legs tightly.

Elizabeth tried her best to keep her face straight, but couldn't help chuckle at the site of her husband. His hair was dripping wet, darkening his collar. His chest was heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He came over and dropped heavily in the chair in front of Elizabeth's desk.

"Lizabeth. Tell me she's here? I don't think I could breathe if I had to keep looking. Is she here?" He looked around the office while talking, but finding nothing, he focused on Elizabeth. When she finally caught his eye, she nodded down to the desk silently while grinning, and then spoke.

"Ummm…what do you mean, Rodney? Do you see her? She couldn't be here if you don't see her." She grinned at Rodney, who stood up and leaned over the desk to give her a slow and loving kiss, but kept it tame as her office walls were glass, and he was sure they had witnesses.

He finally pulled back from the kiss, and licked his lips. "Hmm…chocolate. Now how would you get chocolate in here?" He winked at Elizabeth and stood up. "Well, if she's not here, I guess we should just go to lunch without her. Too bad. I here we've got chocolate pudding today." He continued nonchalantly as he led Elizabeth towards the door.

A scuffling noise behind them caused them both to turn, and then Rodney let out a loud 'oof!" as Addie launched herself from under the desk to grab Rodney around the legs. "Chockit pudding, Daddy? For Addie too?" She beamed up at him and he laughed, then picked her up, settling her on his hip, chocolate mess, and all, and then took Elizabeth's hand before continuing to the commissary.

"Yes, chocolate pudding for you too. IF you let Mommy give you a bath when you get back to our quarters. And no more running off without Mommy or Daddy. Deal?" He raised an eyebrow at her, and then laughed as she gave him a messy kiss on the cheek, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Kay, Daddy!" She wiggled down and dashed ahead of them. Rodney and Elizabeth followed at a slower pace, watching her stop at the door of the Commissary to wait for them, before running in at her mother's nod of permission.

* * *

Elizabeth stopped at the door, tugging Rodney to a stop. "Wait, Rodney. I've been going to ask you this all day. I know I should wait until we're all in for the night, so we can talk in private, but I need to know. Besides, we always get interrupted and…" 

Rodney placed a finger over her lips to stop her. "Lizabeth? What is it? You're worrying me." He got that look that Elizabeth loved. When he was trying to hard not to show he was worried, but was in reality rapidly working up to fear. She knew she had about 45 seconds before the nervous hand movements began. She quickly soothed him.

"No, Rodney, it's nothing like that. I just need to ask you something. Umm…" At his encouraging nod, she drew a deep breath and continued in a rush, "How would you feel about doing all this again, without all the help from Janus?"

He stood there for a minute, with no expression on his face as he tried to process what she'd said. "This? You mean another baby? But Lizabeth, we cancelled the program. There won't be any more babies, remember? The tank's even been removed."

Elizabeth shook her head and his obvious confusion. She gently took his hand and laid it against her still-flat stomach. "Umm…not in that tank, Rodney. This one."

This time he got it. His eyes opened wide, and Elizabeth was worried he'd faint. Or yell or run away scared or something. He closed his eyes and stood totally still for a moment, causing Elizabeth's heart to lodge in her throat. She was excited about this new baby, but she and Rodney had never even discussed the possibility of more children.

She opened her mouth to try to reassure him, but froze as Rodney opened his eyes. His eyes were swimming with unshed tears and he began to stroke her stomach subconsciously, and then met her gaze.

"You mean…? I mean, you're gonna…? We're gonna have a baby? The real way?" The more he talked, the larger his smile grew. "Really?" His obvious happiness showed on his face. "Promise? You're not just kidding or teasing me, are you?" The quick look of doubt on his face made her heart squeeze and she quickly reassured him.

"Well, I don't think it gets any more 'real' than all that...ahem…practice we put in. But yes, we're going to have another one. All by ourselves. Though...I guess Janus had a hand in it." Rodney raised a skeptical eyebrow, and she continued. "Think about it. If he'd never done what he'd done, we'd never have gotten Addie, and we probably would have never admitted our feelings for each other. So…maybe it's not totally by ourselves. But we did all the work." She winked at him and smiled.

He leaned forward and whispered, "Thank God for Janus." He kissed her soundly, and then added, "By the way, just so you know, I happen to be a workaholic. I liked all that 'work.'" Elizabeth laughed and snuggled close as they turned to go join their daughter who had no doubt all ready found her pudding.

* * *

All done! The End! No More! Thanks for reading! 


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